what happened to paulo costa

Paulo Costa hasn’t disappeared — he’s been dealing with a stop-start UFC run, including a withdrawal from a scheduled fight, but he also recently got back into the win column in 2025. Public updates show he was set for Brunno Ferreira, then pulled out, and later there was talk of a possible matchup with Ikram Aliskerov.

Quick Scoop

• Costa’s recent storyline is mostly about fight cancellations and uncertainty , not a retirement announcement.

• He returned to winning form at UFC 318 by beating Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision.

• After that, reports said he withdrew from UFC 326 , though the reason wasn’t clearly stated in the available updates.

• He then appeared open to a new fight offer against Ikram Aliskerov, suggesting he’s still active in the division.

What people are talking about

The chatter around Costa is basically: “Why is he so inconsistent with bookings?” His recent history has included injuries, pullouts, and gaps between fights, which has kept him in the news even when he’s not actually fighting.

In one line

If you’re asking “what happened to Paulo Costa,” the short answer is: he’s still around, but his UFC schedule has been messy, with a recent win followed by another withdrawal and fresh matchup talk.

TL;DR: Not gone, just unpredictable — recent withdrawal, then new fight rumors, after a 2025 win over Roman Kopylov.